12/17/2012 1:29 PM PST

Breaking News

The man who hacked Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, and others -- leaking several nude photos onto the Internet -- has just been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

36-year-old Christopher Chaney pled guilty to 9 felony counts back in March -- including identity theft, wiretapping, and unauthorized access and damage to a protected computer -- after hacking into the celebrity email accounts ... and dozens of others.

During the sentencing, Chaney -- who was arrested in October 2011 -- was also ordered to pay $76,000 in restitution to ScarJo, Christina Aguilera, and "Still Standing" actress Renee Olstead.

But 10 years is a walk in the park -- Chaney was originally accused of hacking into the email accounts of 50 victims ... including dozens of celebs ... and faced 121 YEARS if convicted on all counts.

3/26/2012 11:45 AM PDT

As we previously reported, Christopher Chaneystruck a plea agreement with prosecutors -- in which he agreed to plead guilty to 9 counts including identity theft, wiretapping, and unauthorized access and damage to a protected computer.

Chaney was taken into custody immediately after entering his plea. He will be sentenced in July.

As part of the deal Chaney will have to hand over his computers, external drives, and his cell phone.

Chaney was busted by Feds back in October. He initially pled not guilty.

11/1/2011 6:11 AM PDT

Scarlett opened up about the pics to Vanity Fair ... saying, "They were sent to my husband ... there's nothing wrong with that."

Johansson adds, "It's not like I was shooting a porno ... although there's nothing wrong with that either."

As TMZ previously reported, the FBI arrested the man allegedly responsible for hacking and leaking the nude pics ... and the guy is actually scheduled to appear in court in L.A. later today. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 121 years in federal prison.

Still, Scarlett's proud of the way she looks in the pics ... saying, "I know my best angles."

10/13/2011 12:39 PM PDT

TMZ has evidence ... Chris Chaney, the man who was arrested Wednesday for hacking the email accounts and cell phones of numerous celebrities, may not have been a lone wolf ... and there are other hackers who may have obtained access to the same nude photos Chaney allegedly distributed.

TMZ has not published the nude, hacked photos of several celebs, including Scarlett Johansson, but we have received numerous emails from others who claimed to have had access.

One of the purported hackers began contacting us nearly 2 years ago, saying he wanted to take Chaney down. But although he claimed to be assisting law enforcement, he sent TMZ nude photos of a number of celebs -- which we never published.

And a third purported hacker contacted TMZ and sent us hacked pictures of Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. The feds say Chaney hacked Mila's phone, but he may not have been the only one.

The FBI says Chaney acted as a lone wolf, but it appears others were also involved.

10/13/2011 5:30 AM PDT

The man accused of hacking dozens of celebrity phones and emails says he was "addicted" to prying into the private lives of the rich and famous ... insisting he was "relieved" when he got caught.

Christopher Chaney spoke with "Action News Jacksonville" last night ... saying, "It started as curiosity and it turned to just being addictive ... seeing the behind-the-scenes of what's going on with the people you see on the big screen."

The FBI busted Chaney at his Jacksonville home yesterday ... and released him on bail a short time later. If convicted, he could face 121 years in federal prison.

10/12/2011 3:40 PM PDT

The man arrested for allegedly hacking into celebrity phones is a convicted con artist ... who was once busted by the feds for running a scheme to steal people's life insurance money ... TMZ has learned.

According to court records, obtained by TMZ ... Christopher Howard Chaney plead guilty to mail fraud in federal court in Florida back in 1998 ... for stealing money from Prudential life insurance policy holders in a diabolical plan he executed with a friend back in 1997.

Court docs reveal ... Chaney had a pal who worked for Prudential, and that guy would identify Prudential Life Insurance customers who had names similar to Chaney's.

Chaney would then fill out paperwork, posing as his victims ... and took money out of their policies ... thousands of dollars at a time.

Chaney -- who was a teenager when he was involved in the scam -- was convicted ... and sentenced to 48 months probation and ordered to return the money he stole.

Now, Chaney is back in the criminal system -- accused of hacking 50 people, mostly famous people, and leaking VERY private information to the web ... including nude photos of Scarlett Johansson, Vanessa Hudgens and more.

If convicted in the hacking case, Chaney could face 121 years in federal prison.

10/12/2011 8:06 AM PDT

The FBI has arrested one person suspected of hacking into the phones of Hollywood stars like Scarlett Johansson and Vanessa Hudgens ... and leaking private photos. And, we've learned, the FBI is convinced the guy is a lone wolf, who never got a cent for the pictures he stole ... he just did it for the thrill.

Law enforcement sources tell us the man is from Florida, and the FBI has known about him for several months, but the U.S. Attorney didn't take action until now.

Our sources say the man hacked into numerous celebrity phones and then distributed the ill-gotten photos to third parties, never asking for any money. He did it because he got a charge out of it.

The FBI says the investigation was dubbed, "Operation Hackerazzi."

So far, the identity of the suspect has not been released.

Among the stars who claim they were victimized by the hacker -- Ali Larter, Jessica Alba and Emma Caulfield.

9/29/2011 6:00 AM PDT

Scarlett Johansson is speaking out about the double-edged sword of fame -- claiming she's just as entitled to privacy as anyone else ... after nude pics of the actress leaked online earlier this month.

In a CNN interview ... Scarlett says, "Who doesn't want to protect their own privacy? There are certain instances where you give a lot of yourself and finally you have to kind of put your foot down and say, 'Oh wait, I'm taking it back.' "

Scarlett -- who asked the FBI to track down the alleged hackers -- adds, "If [one's privacy] is sieged in someway, it feels unjust. It feels wrong."